Second Game: All Hell Breaks Loose

Resentment and issues began to fester after the last game.  There was this uncomfortable feeling in the atmosphere that no one dared to speak of... we just kept going through the motions as if we all got along. For a while, it seem to work.

Teammate Ana playing dirty

It worked so much that in the second game, we actually started to play as a team.We were able to keep the final score at 6-0(an improvement from our last game). 

It was unbelievable, we had ignored our team issues and begun to play like a team. Was that possible? Was it too good to be true?

We worked so well together during this game, the coach decided against having a team meeting to discuss our issues. 

He decided to quick. 

Right after the game, all hell broke loose. We were all sitting around a circle on the field waiting to leave

Player number 17 was complaining about lugging all the soccer equipment off of the field, while we all sat on the field.

I do not take good action photos

In her defense, she was considered an "injured" player, but her complaints irritated one of the players. 

By the time player number 17, had come back to collect other soccer equipment she was mumbling under her breath. I don't know what she was mumbling..but player number 00 had enough. 

"If you don't want to do it, leave the shit right there" Player number 00 said in the nastiest tone possible. 

We all looked at her in astonishment.  Player number 00 was the most optimistic and positive girl you will ever meet and she was being mean. 

"Like seriously, shut your mouth," player number 17 fired back

"don't you tell me to shut my mouth,"player number 00 said

Teammate Kiersten giving it her all

 While some teammates, including myself, tried to calm down the situation. Other teammates got into it as well, defending player number 00.  And before you knew it , we were in the early stages of having a downright brawl.  The girls who wanted to fight were ready to go . 

Player number 17 was not backing down. The coach and our team captain(who is also number 17's best friend) came to her defense, yelling at the rest of us. 

Number 17 was not reprimanded in any way, which left some of the girls feeling some way. Their perspective was no matter who started the fight, EVERYONE involved should have been reprimanded.  Until that point, it was pure speculation that the coach played favorites, but this event solidified our concerns. 

Defense players holding off  WCCC's  offense

The fact that me and two other girls were trying to stop the fight by neutralizing the situation and then you had the coach adding to the fight by screaming in people's faces, didn't sit well with me. 

There's a difference in being assertive and aggressive. And we needed someone to be assertive. We already had so much aggression going around...did we really need more? 

Needless to say tensions between the team were elevated to a whole new level

First Game: United we stand, Divided we fall

With only a week of practice together, our soccer team was thrown into its first game.

To put it simply, we were not ready.

I don’t mean just skill wise – not ready.  I mean team wise – not ready.
There was no bond between us. No unity.  No camaraderie.

Any athlete will tell you the importance of team bonding and unity.

2013 Women's Soccer Team: why did I wear glasses

Teams that often end up winning in sports are those that work well together.

How were we supposed to win a game together if we couldn’t cooperate?

The tension between us, left the team fragmented into cliques.  We were separated by new players, old players and competitiveness.

So going into our first game there was a division amongst us – especially with the EXTREMELY competitive girls.

The intensity they had for the game rubbed some people the wrong way…including me.  It felt like everything I did was wrong to them.  It didn’t help that my soccer skills were premature.It really didn’t help that before the start of this game the coach decided to put me as forward, when I have always played midfield.




We played against Thiel College

So, now the coach expects me to start scoring goals. No pressure!
Don’t get me wrong, I understand why he made me forward, but it didn’t help my case with the competitive girls. Now it was my job to make sure we scored points...

Needless to say, when I stepped out on that field I was full of anxiety.

The first ten minutes were fine, it's just what came after that that wasn't...there was no communication with our team. We weren't talking on the field. Except screaming and
yelling at each other when we did something wrong.


 Teammate Jessie icing her foot

Not surprisingly,  the other team scored a goal.

Frustration set in. We became irritated  with each other.

And the other team could see this and used it to their advantage.

Which made one goal become two goals, two goals become five goals ,and five goals become eight goals.


Even though we were losing, I honestly believed we were all working as best as we could during the game.

Well, I guess I was wrong! A teammate of mine, came up to me 20 minutes before the game ended  and told me "You need to start getting the ball"(like I don't get the concept of the game).


The combination of the heat, my exhaustion and my sensitive personality made her suggestion come off a bit "bitchy".

I probably would have been more receptive to what she was saying,  if I hadn't been running around on that field for almost 90 minutes in the blazing heat.
I understand she is competitive and has this adrenaline for the game...but don't depreciate my role on




What can I say? I was tired

the team.

My body was running on zero. All I wanted to do was collapse.

But I kept pushing myself and now she was telling me my effort wasn't good enough.

And If she didn't think I was doing anything before, I was definitely not going to do anything now.



After the game

 Yes, I know its was petty and childish.  At the time I didn't care.

The last 15 minutes I did not run across the field. I just counted down to the mintues when it will all be over.

The time went by quick. The final score was 12-0. As usual we were all irritated with each other and we fragmented back into our cliques.

I guess whoever said that quote was telling the truth: united we stand, dividend we fall.

And boy did we fall.